Esalen Cookbook (14 page)
Authors: Charlie Cascio
RACHEL’S MEAT LOAF
ASPARAGUS & SHIITAKE MUSHROOM STRUDEL
MILAN-STYLE LASAGNE
PAD THAI NOODLES
Rachel Fann has the mother role in the Esalen kitchen. I’ve witnessed her transform many a work scholar with her motherly love. When asked to describe her thoughts about cooking at Esalen, Rachel said : “Whether I’m scooping out cocoa to make hot chocolafe or mixing up my meat loaf, I think of those I’m cooking for as my own family. I will be forever grafeful for this work, for the deep peacefulness I feel, even in the middle of all the chaos. This is my work in the world, to love others through my cooking.”
Serves 8
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
1 stalks finely diced celery
2 pounds ground beef
2 eggs
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
1 cup bread crumbs
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (16-ounce) can tomato sauce
Rachel Fann
In a skillet over medium heat, saute the onion in the vegetable oil until translucent. Add the celery and saute until celery is tender and the onions take on a golden appearance.
Place the meat in a mixing bowl; beat the egg and blend into the meat. Add the Worcestershire sauce, bread crumbs, sauteed vegetables, salt, and pepper and mix all of this until well blended. Place the meat loaf on a sheet of parchment paper and shape into the loaf shape; then wrap the meat loaf in the parchment paper. This will keep it from drying out in the oven. Place in an oven preheated to 350 degrees F and bake for 1 hour. Unwrap the meat loaf, pour the tomato sauce over the top, and place back into the oven uncovered for another 20 to 30 minutes or until the meat loaf is firm and evenly brown. A meat thermometer should read 165 degrees F when it is done.
Rachel’s Meat Loaf
Asparagus
&
Shiitake Mushroom Strudel
&
Shiitake Mushroom Strudel
This is an elegant vegetarian dish that we served often at Esalen while I managed the kitchen. This recipe originated on the shores of Lake Constance, where the countries of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland share a border. This dish is usually served at Esalen with Porcini Mushroom Sauce (see page 177).
Serves 4 to 6
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium yellow onion, cut in ½-inch dice
½ pound shiitake mushrooms, cut in
½-inch pieces
¼ pound button mushrooms, cut in
½-inch pieces
1 pound asparagus
12 ounces ricotta cheese
1 cup grated Asiago cheese
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1 (1-pound) box puff pastry (2 sheets)
Heat the oil in a saute pan over high heat, add the onion, and saute until golden brown. Add the mushrooms to the onions, lower the heat to medium, and cook another 8 minutes. Trim the asparagus stalks, and then cut asparagus into ½-inch pieces and steam for 5 minutes or until the stalks feel tender, but slightly crunchy.
Place the onions, mushrooms, and asparagus in a mixing bowl and add the ricotta, Asiago, parsley, pepper, and salt. Mix until everything is blended.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out one sheet of the pastry dough to a 9- x 11-inch rectangle. Fold the rolled dough into fourths and lay it on a clean kitchen towel that is bigger than the unfolded dough. Unfold the dough onto the towel. On the third of the dough that is closest to you, place half of the filling, leaving a 1-inch border along all edges. Lightly wet the upper edge of the pastry dough with water. Roll the strudel away from you in a tube or jellyroll shape. Continue to roll until you have reached the wet edge and pat the seam with your hands until the strudel sticks together. Fold the ends and press to seal them. Repeat for the second sheet of pastry dough and the remaining half of the filling.
Take both ends of the kitchen towel and gently roll the strudel off the towel and onto a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes. Remove from oven, slice, and serve. This recipe will make 2 strudels.
CASHEW MILKTo make Cashew Milk, finely grind 3 cups unsalted cashew pieces in a food processor, seed grinder, or coffee grinder. In a blender, put 1 cup hot tap water, 1 cup finely ground cashews, and a pinch of salt. Blend on high speed until it is silky smooth. Repeat two more times. This should be about 3 loads in the blender of water and finely ground nuts and should yield about 4 cups Cashew Milk. Add 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg to the cashew milk.
Northern Italian-style lasagna often has a white cream sauce instead of the classic tomato base sauce used in most Italian-style lasagnas. This recipe makes an elegant lasagna that can be served for a special occasion or an informal dinner. We replaced the béchamel sauce called for in the original recipe with a creamy cashew milk sauce that adds a very delicate flavor to this popular dish.
Serves 4 to 6
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, cut into ½-inch dice
3 medium carrots, finely grated
4 medium zucchini, finely grated
1 (16-ounce can) tomato sauce
1 (16-ounce can) diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
3 teaspoons sea salt, divided
1 pound spinach or Swiss chard leaf, cut into
¼-inch ribbons
1 pound ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
½ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
12 lasagna noodles
1 recipe Cashew Milk (see sidebar)
2 cups grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese
½ cup pumpkin seeds
2 teaspoons minced garlic
Place 1 tablespoon oil and the diced onion in a heavy-bottomed skillet over high heat for 3 minutes, add garlic and saute until onion turns translucent. Transfer to a colander and drain. Using the same method, separately saute the carrots and zucchini for about 5 minutes each, and then place in the colander with the onions. Add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, basil, and 2 teaspoons salt to the vegetables and mix.
Saute spinach or chard until the bright green color starts to darken, about 5 minutes, and then drain in a wire strainer. Put the spinach or chard in a clean kitchen towel and press out as much water as possible. In a separate bowl, mix together the ricotta, chard, oregano, pepper, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Place the lasagna noodles in a pan and cover with hot tap water for 15 minutes, being sure that the noodles are not sticking to one another. Place noodles on a kitchen towel and dry thoroughly.
Cover the bottom of a 9- x 9-inch baking dish with a thin layer of Cashew Milk. Coat both sides of 4 lasagna noodles with Cashew Milk and lay in the bottom of the baking dish. Spread half of the carrot, zucchini, and onion mixture over the noodles, followed by one third of the cheese, and then half of the ricotta-chard mix. Spread a spoonful of the Cashew Milk over this. Repeat layers, ending with a layer of 4 coated lasagna noodles.
Spread the remaining Cashew Milk over the top layer of noodles and sprinkle the remaining one-third of the cheese over the top. Sprinkle the pumpkin seeds over the top of the cheese. Cover and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes, and then uncover and return to the oven for another 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let set up for about 10 minutes before serving.
Pad Thai Noodles
This recipe came out of a Staff Week dinner. Staff Week is when Esalen closes for a 5-day period during the Christmas holidays. Only employees and residents are allowed to be on the Esalen grounds. For this period, Esalen really lives as a community or small village. Each evening, a different department cooks dinner. One year the office decided to do a Thai menu. Shelton Phillips, one of the office staff, had been a guide in Thailand for eight years and learned this recipe while there. Of the many different versions of Pad Thais, this was his favorite.
Serves 4
NOODLES½ pound wide rice noodles, uncooked
2 eggs
3 teaspoons grated fresh ginger, divided
1 medium carrot, cut into ⅛-inch pieces
3 teaspoons minced garlic, divided
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 small red bell pepper, cut into ½-inch dice
3 green onions, chopped in fine rounds
¼ pound mung bean sprouts, rinsed and
drained
¾ cup whole dry-roasted peanuts
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
Juice of ½ lime
Soak the rice noodles in hot tap water for about 15 minutes. They should be soft but not completely tender. Drain and set aside.
Beat the eggs in a bowl with 1 teaspoon of the ginger, 1 teaspoon of the garlic, the salt, and the water. Pour 1 tablespoon of the oil into a wok or heavy-bottomed skillet and set over medium heat. When the pan is heated, pour in the egg and scramble until well cooked. Once cooked, crumble eggs into bite-size pieces, and then set aside.
Over high heat, place the remaining tablespoon of oil into the wok or large heavy-bottomed skillet; add the remaining ginger and garlic, the carrot, and the bell pepper.
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